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Home / Events / Field Trip: The Ecology and Birds at Mount St. Helens Silver Lake with Gina Roberti

July 14, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Field Trip: The Ecology and Birds at Mount St. Helens Silver Lake with Gina Roberti

Name: Field Trip: The Ecology and Birds at Mount St. Helens Silver Lake with Gina Roberti
Start: 2023-07-14T13:00:00-07:00
End: 2023-07-14T16:00:00-07:00

This is a drive-yourself afternoon trip to Seaquest State Park on the way to Mount St. Helens, which is approximately a one-hour, twenty-minute drive from Portland.

What makes Mount St. Helens unique for birdwatching? Volcanoes create disturbances in the landscape, and this creates a mosaic of habitat types that afford a high diversity of birds. Join naturalist Gina Roberti on an ecology and birding tour of Silver Lake at the Mount St. Helens Visitors Center at Seaquest State Park. Learn how volcanoes shape the landscape and how we, as people, can be more informed of volcanic hazards.

The field trip will begin at the Mount St. Helens Visitors Center at Seaquest State Park and for the first 1-2 hours hike and orient along the ½ mile ADA-accessible boardwalk trail. Depending on the weather, and group energy, the field trip may extend to include hiking on trails in the forest of Seaquest State Park. The trip will move slowly along the boardwalk section and more quickly in the forested section. (At the time of the field trip, the Visitors Center may be closed, but groups are welcome to come earlier and explore the visitors center, exhibits, and ranger presentations. Our field trip will offer a few fantastic views of Mount St. Helens on clear days. For the best views into the crater, visit Johnston Ridge Observatory before or after the field trip, depending on time of year.)

There is very little cell phone reception at the meeting location after leaving the I-5 highway corridor. Please plan in advance.
Please dress in layers and bring water and snacks.

Background Information on Mount St. Helens

On May 18, 1980, a cataclysmic event occurred at Mount St. Helens as the north flank of the volcano slid off in one of the largest landslides in recorded history, unleashing a powerful eruption. This eruption buried 230 square miles of existing old-growth forest with hundreds of feet of volcanic debris. In some places closest to the crater of the volcano, almost no living organisms survived. Ash from the eruption blew across the United States and megatons of logs and volcanic debris clogged up rivers, lakes, and streams. The eruption dramatically reshaped the landscape, creating a mosaic of habitat types that are now home to a diverse suite of birds.

In 1982, the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was designated to protect the land closest to the volcano as a place for research, recreation, and education. Today, home to more than 80 species of nesting birds, the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument offers unique birding opportunities.

Summer blooms at Mount St. Helens, D.T. Strouse

Accessibility

Distance: Total walking distance of up to 2 miles on flat graded gravel trail & boardwalk trail.
Elevation changes: Total elevation change of less than 50 feet. The ½ mile boardwalk trail is flat and graded. The possibility is that the group may walk across the street to the forested trails of Seaquest State Park (dependent on time and weather). These trails are flat, graded, and have minimal elevation change.
Trail tread & average width: We will be walking on trails that are packed gravel, pavement, boardwalk and packed dirt. wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The trail is ADA-accessible.
Pacing: The trip will move slowly along the boardwalk section and more quickly in the forested section.
Rest stops: There are several benches along the boardwalk trail. Participants are welcome to drive between the Visitors Center and the trails at Seaquest State Park. Picnic tables are available throughout the park.
Sun exposure: The boardwalk trail is ~30% under the shade cover of trees. Depending on the season and the dominant tree type in the forest, it may be more sunny or shady. The forest trails are 100% in the shade.
Amenities: Indoor restrooms with running water are available while the Visitors Center is open. There are also bathrooms available in the campground at Seaquest State Park, across the street from the Visitors Center and boardwalk trail.
Public transit: Public transportation is NOT available for this field trip. Participants are encouraged to carpool. There is a park-and-ride at the Information Center in Castle Rock, Washington, which has free wifi and is a great place to leave vehicles for a day.

Join naturalist Gina Roberti on an ecology and birding tour of Silver Lake at the Mount St. Helens Visitors Center at Seaquest State Park.

Learn More

Bird Alliance of Oregon Birding Day Details

Date: July 14, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Class fee: $45 members / $65 non-members
This class is a great introductory class for birding and is not designed for advanced birders. We will take a holistic view of ecology, human history, and geology. We will interact with and discuss all of the landscape features that support habitat for birds.

Trip Leader

Gina Roberti

Gina Roberti is a geologist, naturalist and educator who grew up digging quahogs and exploring the shorelines of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island (the state with the largest coastline per capita!) amidst ancient metamorphic rocks of the Appalachian Mountains. Since graduating from Brown University with a degree in Geology-Biology, Gina spent several years working as a geoscience educator in various geologic regions in the western U.S., including the Colorado Plateau, Snake River Plain, Klamath-Siskiyou, North Cascades, and presently the active Cascade volcanic range. In each of these places she taught thousands of youth and adults about earth science in a variety of field-based and classroom settings.

Gina currently works with the Mount St. Helens Institute. She strongly believes in the power of education to inspire awareness, appreciation and stewardship for the natural world. When Gina is not working she can be found on long walks or cross country skis, often in the company of birds.

Go Birding!

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